Royal Caribbean Group is turning up the heat on its sustainability efforts with a new five-year agreement with technology company Wärtsilä. Covering 37 ships in its fleet, the new partnership will improve engine efficiency, reduce fuel consumption, and reduce emissions.
Wärtsilä will handle engine maintenance and performance optimization under the new agreement, using advanced tech to predict and address issues before they cause delays or disruptions.
“Collaborations with longtime partners like Wärtsilä serve as a cornerstone in our joint efforts to accelerate reliable and sustainable operations and future initiatives,” said Palle Laursen, executive vice president and head of marine for Royal Caribbean Group.
He continued, “It provides a solid framework for sustained collaboration and will have a meaningful impact on ensuring our fleet’s sustainable operations, which is vitally important for us and our industry.”
Wärtsilä will provide scheduled and unscheduled services to minimize the risk of breakdowns and downtime. It will use AI-driven technology called Expert Insight to predict maintenance needs.
Royal Caribbean has also agreed to a performance-based model with Wärtsilä to improve the performance of engines across the company’s cruise lines, which include Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises, and Silversea Cruises.
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“This agreement is a testament to the mutual efforts and dedication of both the Royal Caribbean Group and Wärtsilä teams,” said Roger Holm, president of Wärtsilä Marine and executive vice president at Wärtsilä Corporation.
“It not only solidifies our exemplary long-term partnership but also elevates our collaboration to new heights,” he continued. “Together, we are committed to achieving the highest operational reliability and meeting the strictest sustainability and decarbonization standards in the cruise industry.”
Royal Caribbean’s Sustainability Progress
In its 2023 sustainability efforts, Royal Caribbean Group made strides towards its “Destination Net Zero” goals. The company hopes to be carbon-neutral by 2035, ahead of the EU’s Green Deal goals of net zero by 2050.
By the end of 2023, the company achieved 6.8 percent reduction in carbon intensity; successfully conducted biofuel trials on Celebrity Cruises’ Celebrity Apex and Royal Caribbean’s Symphony of the Seas and Navigator of the Seas; and launched Silversea’s Silver Nova, the cruise line’s first liquefied natural gas (LNG)-powered vessel.
Additionally, Royal Caribbean diverted 87 percent of its waste from landfills and emphasized local sourcing to reduce travel miles.
This year, the company’s environmental advancements include the launch of its first LNG-fueled Royal Caribbean ship, Icon of the Seas, in January, and the first Oasis-class ship, the 5,668-guest Utopia of the Seas, in July.
The company touts the nearly 8,000-passenger and crew accommodating Icon of the Seas as its most sustainable ship to date, utilizing six dual-fuel engines by Wärtsilä to use a combination of fuel, including LNG.
The vessel also treats its wastewater to produce more than 93 percent of fresh water on board; recycles more than 90 percent of trash; and is shore-power ready to plug into local power grids, when available.
Despite these measures, a 2021 study in the Marine Pollution Bulletin revealed cruising continues to be a significant contributor to air, water, and land pollution, and the cruise industry faces criticism for its environmental impact.
The criticism has resulted in environmental protests, with a recent August 2024 event by Extinction Rebellion blocking Royal Caribbean’s Serenade of the Seas from entering the locks.
The demonstration followed on the heels of similar protests in the Netherlands targeting major cruise lines, including Royal Caribbean’s Jewel of the Seas.
